In an interview Monday morning, general manager Gord Carey said the camps, held July 17-18 and 24-25, attracted an average of 38 to 40 players to each two-hour session. He said approximately 11 or 12 spots are up for grabs, although no one had been signed as of Monday.

It appears the Shield will be turning over its No. 1 goalie job to sophomore Eric Pye, a six-foot-tall goalie from Fredericton, New Brunswick, who played 811 minutes in 25 games last year behind first-string netminder Ryan Coté.

Pye, 18, was drafted by South Muskoka last year in the second round, 13th overall. His goals against average was 5.25 last season, compared to Coté’s 4.61.

“Pye is coming back and I’ve committed to him, even though he hasn’t been signed,” said Carey. “I told him the No. 1 spot was his to lose.”

Carey said at least two goalies are desired by the organization, and the team is also looking for a goalie coach. Gary Muir will join the Shield this year as an assistant coach.

“The third goalie has to be willing to be part of the team,” he said, noting the position tends to result in little opportunity to play. “I’m unsure how much ice time he could get depending on injuries or whether we give him a game just to stay in the game. He has to know he’s the third goalie.”

The tryout camps attracted several returnees and about 30 new faces, Carey explained.

“We never expected to see that many kids,” Carey said, attributing the overwhelming interest at tryouts to the recruiting abilities of head coach Rick Irons.

“With the number of kids who came out, we want to give them all a fair shot.”

In addition to normal warm-up drills, players participated in scrimmages that Carey said are the best way to determine how players handle themselves on the ice.

“It’s the only way to evaluate them, their habits and how they play the game,” he explained.

Carey said he was impressed by several local and Greater Toronto Area players and will be forced to narrow down his focus before the hockey club hosts its main, invite-only camp Aug. 16-17.

“The hateful part of the job is telling the kids they didn’t make the cut,” said Carey. “I try to encourage them to come back next year and tell them what they should work on.”

With the ability to sign a total of 40 players, and with commitments made to returning players, Carey said he intends to execute a bulk of player contracts before exhibition games against Elliot Lake Labour Day weekend. Carey said he plans to hold a number of cards for future consideration as well.